Archaic Buddhist term for the five components of a sentient being: form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. Modern usage is largely replaced by 五蘊 (ごうん).
From Middle Chinese 五陰 (nguX ʔim), a translation of Sanskrit pañca-skandha. The spelling 陰 (shadow, hidden) was later replaced by 蘊 (accumulation) in the more common 五蘊.
